Day 23: Simple Perfect Enchiladas

Boy, have I learned a healthy respect for the pioneers! I don't know how they did it. Our weather has been terrible! We had at least 40 mph wind the last day and a half. Usually it wouldn't be such a big deal, I would just move my cooking operation into the garage. But thanks to the wind direction I couldn't even do that, it was blowing directly into the garage. So I had to commit the ultimate act of heresy. It is even worse than using my camp stove. I am so ashamed. I had to cook inside, in my oven. It didn't even feel like dutch oven cooking, and hopefully it won't happen again.
I'm sure I have mentioned my obsession for Mexican food. I am always on the look out for new recipes. Enchiladas are a tricky one for me since I already have the perfect enchilada recipe that I will post soon. Most other recipes leave me wanting. If I didn't have a favorite recipe already, this one would at least be on the favs list. It is another Pioneer Woman recipe.

Simple Perfect Enchiladas

12" dutch oven

Sauce:

1 Tbs. oil

1 Tbs. flour

1 28 oz. can red enchilada sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Meat:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2--4 oz cans green chilies

1/2 tsp. salt

Tortillas:

10-14 corn tortillas

1/2 cup oil

Additional Ingredients:

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can sliced black olives

1 cup chopped green onions

For the sauce, heat oil and add the flour to make a paste. Cook for one minute and add the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes

For the meat, brown the beef and onions. Drain off the fat and stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and salt. Set aside.

For the tortillas, heat oil in the dutch oven. One by one, using tongs, fry the tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp--about 30 seconds per side. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of the D.O. Dip each tortilla in the sauce and place in the D.O. Spoon meat, grated cheese, a few olives and green onions in the center of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down. Repeat until the pan is filled. Sprinkle any extra meat, olives and onions on top of the enchiladas. Pour in the remaining sauce and cover with cheese. Bake 20 minutes. I'm sure 14 coals on top and 10 on the bottom will work fine.

**When you assemble the enchiladas, just do it in the dutch oven. when it starts to get full, then set the dipped tortilla on top of the enchiladas to fill it. Then roll it up and put it in place.

The Finished Product

These will never come out individually. Just scoop them out like a casserole.

What I Learned

Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Except maybe that I hate wind!

The Review

These were pretty good, and that is saying something because my go to enchilada recipe is amazing. I am not a huge fan of ground beef enchiladas, so if I make these again I will use chicken or shredded beef. They were really spicy--too spicy for my kids, so I would cut the green chilies down to 1 can. The dressed up sauce was much better than sauce straight out of the can. I think they are a little involved for the dutch oven, and would be a pain to do entirely outside. Overall, these get a B.